HYB - TB: Reg. 7 Irisarian Reprints #3

> The articles from the "Irisarian"  are long so they should come in
> increments of one or two........  I will  tag them as Reg 7 Reprints and
> see how long it takes..........  If one is not interested..........  hit
> the "delete" key.
> 
> A series of articles reprinted from the Region 7 IRISARIAN with myself as
> Editor in 1990-91.  [Gary Sides--Jan. 1998:  Posted to Iris-L]
> 
TWENTY YEARS OF IRIS HYBRIDIZING
George D. Slade     Cynthiana, KY    

My interest in irises began thirty years ago when we moved from Cynthiana
to our present location at Upper Curry KY.  Helen ordered ten rhizomes thru
her homemakers club, paying as much as .75 to a $1.00 each for some.  A
terrible waste of our scant funds, I thought.  Anyway, I planted them for
her in a row on the hillside just below our house.  The following May most
bloomed and I was amazed that "flags" came in colors other than purple.  I
was hooked.
	    
That summer I ordered a catalogue from a magazine ad and from the catalog,
more irises.  In about three years, we were getting iris poor.  It was then
that I decided that if these people could sell me iris rhizomes, then maybe
I could sell the increases to others.  In May 1964, we ran the first ad in
our local paper, inviting folks to visit "Slade Iris Gardens".  It was a
beautiful day and we booked several orders for our "flags", as the locals
called them.  Each year, from that humble beginning, our iris business grew
until we sold our stock and business to the Glascocks following the 1988
season.  During those 25 years, we had thousands upon thousands of visitors
from most of the states and several foreign countries.
	    
In those early years, I was reading everything I could find concerning
iris.  Then we learned about A.I.S., which we joined and later the Blue
Grass Iris Society.  All this time I was getting interested in hybridizing
and growing iris from seed.  My first crosses were made in 1969, from which
came my first introduction, PRIMROSE.  It was my next introduction in 1979
with SOLID STATE, that really made me a hybridizing fan.  At the Lexington,
KY show it won "Best in Seedling of Show" award and the next year, "Queen
of Show" and went on to receive the HM award of A.I.S.  I have always felt
that it might have gone further if I had at that time understood the
mechanics of distribution.
	    
I admit that I have introduced some cultivars that I wish I could take
back.  On the other hand, I have paid out good money for iris from the
country's most celebrated hybridizers that I wish I could send back, some
even Dykes Medal winners.
	    
So what are my goals in hybridizing?  First, color or color pattern. 
Although in "point judging", as stated in the handbook, color rates only
5%, what is the first thing a judge looks for when he or she walks into a
patch of new seedlings?  You guessed it, a different color or color
pattern.  You must get their attention, then they can investigate other
characteristics.  Then, it must be a good grower.  I do not want a cultivar
that requires special care.  After this, I try to select those cultivars
that fulfill the desirable traits as stated in the "Judges Handbook".
	    
Over the years, I have had a number of goals in hybridizing.  My first was
to produce a "red" iris.  I soon gave up on that.  My favorites are blues
and blue violets and I continue to work with those colors.  For several
years I have tried for a brown and white STEPPING OUT, a clean dark brown
on pure white, wearing a brown beard.  Thus far, it has eluded me, though
there is some progress.  Also, I am pursuing a pink amoena with pure white
standards.  Several seedlings which first bloomed in 1989 showed promise. 
Surprises add so much to the fun of hybridizing, such as SIX PACK.  I am
now trying to get a line of these "flat" iris established.  Another of my
favorites are the so called "blacks".  I have produced some really nice
seedlings crossing the Paul Cook blacks with the Schreiner blacks.

Recently, I have been making about 80 to 90 crosses per season.  Of these,
45 to 50 will set pods and survive to produce mature seed.  From these
seed, I manage to germinate about 1200 to 1400 plants in the spring.  If
weather conditions are favorable, most will bloom the next season.  From
maiden bloom to introduction will require three to four years.
	    
I have spent many hours on cold winter days mapping the ancestry of some of
my favorite iris.  It is interesting to note how certain cultivars show up
time and again in award winners.  Example:  PINK 
TAFFETA (DM 75) produced VANITY (DM 82) which produced BEVERLY SILLS (DM
85).  On the other side of BEVERLY SILLS, one generation removed, we find
RIPPLING WATERS (DM 66).  PINK TAFFETA and RIPPLING WATERS are to be found
in the ancestry of many award winners.  WHOLE CLOTH (DM 62) is in many
amoenas, bitones and bicolors.  DENVER MINT shows up regularly in top
yellows and others.  The list goes on.  It is time well spent to check the
ancestry of the iris you are considering crossing.
	    
KELAT SKIES (Slade 83):  (Cup Race X (Rainbow Gold x Denver Mint)), is
producing some very good and interesting seedlings.  In 1990, we are
introducing BY GEORGE: (KELAT SKIES X DIXIECRAT).  The stans are medium
blue violet with a white center and falls are blue violet with a white area
around pale blue violet beards.  It shows many of the good characteristics
of CUP RACE.  It has a high bud count and was the longest blooming clump in
the garden in 1989.  Another cross which produced many nice seedlings in
1989 was: (FROSTY JEWELS X (ITSA GIRL x SUNDAY CHIMES)).  Several were
orchid pink, some of which I crossed with BEVERLY SILLS.  I am looking for
something good to come from these.
	    
Each year when making crosses I think that I may never see these bloom, but
when May rolls 'round I'm out there eagerly awaiting each new bloom and
daubing more pollen.  My advice to beginning hybridizers would be to have
patience, plan your crosses and do not try to go in too many directions at
once.  Keep records; you cannot have too much information.
	    
We are thankful for all our iris friends who have supported us thru the
years, especially the judges who have borne the expense and taken the time
to visit our gardens and evaluate our seedlings.  We could not have done it
without you.  YES, THE IRISES HAVE BEEN GOOD TO US!


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Gary D. Sides   Nashville, TN  USDA 6/7   gdsides@ccast.com
TB Iris Rebloom is Up and Coming!   Got any?  Want some?
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